Official East Predictions Thread, Let's Go Baby!

[JustLucky]

is 47 wins good? like its alright your best two players are quite good but after that its alot of drop off and unknowns I think suggs and black are quite likely to regress for different reasons your depth is quite bad with suggs and franz coming back from 30 game seasons I'm not sure you have a third guarantee above average starter

[Bergmaniac]

is 47 wins good? like its alright your best two players are quite good but after that its alot of drop off and unknowns I think suggs and black are quite likely to regress for different reasons your depth is quite bad with suggs and franz coming back from 30 game seasons I'm not sure you have a third guarantee above average starter

Desmond Bane is pretty decent from what I hear.

[JujitsuFlip]

is 47 wins good? like its alright your best two players are quite good but after that its alot of drop off and unknowns I think suggs and black are quite likely to regress for different reasons your depth is quite bad with suggs and franz coming back from 30 game seasons I'm not sure you have a third guarantee above average starter

Talent is not the Magic's problem.

Banchero has already been an All-Star,
Franz and Bane will push for All-Star,
Suggs just needs to stay healthy. Ty Jones is a decent backup.

Their issue is coaching first and foremost, followed by fit.

[JustLucky]

is 47 wins good? like its alright your best two players are quite good but after that its alot of drop off and unknowns I think suggs and black are quite likely to regress for different reasons your depth is quite bad with suggs and franz coming back from 30 game seasons I'm not sure you have a third guarantee above average starter

Desmond Bane is pretty decent from what I hear.

and if i remembered you sold the farm for him you probably move up 1 or two spots . In the end its just a fun pointless ranking. I ranked in "ranges" then just went with vibes. in the end injury's are mostly what decides the rankings and not my vibes. In the modern nba one injury and a bad start can equal a full on tank from a top 8 team 3 weeks into the season.

Also remember a teams trajectory is not always linear no matter how much you want it to be

If your curious my range for your team was 2-7 but i ended up going low because lack of cohesion because of injury's and depth/experience

[Curmudgeon]

Like i said, that Celtics 4/5 rotation may be the worst in the league.

Queta averaged 13.9 MPG last season.
Boucher averaged 17.2 MPG last year.
Walsh averaged 7.8 MPG last season.
Tillman averaged 7 MPG last season.
Garza averaged 5.6 MPG last season.

Now those 5 guys are being asked to fill 96 minutes per game, combined. That is going to be a huge increase for this group of guys.

Yes it will be a huge increase in minutes for Queta, Garza and Tillman, who was hurt for most of last year. Walsh is an end of the bench guy and if injuries (or whatever) force them to give significant minutes to him, then yes, the Celtics are going nowhere.

[brackdan70]

Like i said, that Celtics 4/5 rotation may be the worst in the league.

Queta averaged 13.9 MPG last season.
Boucher averaged 17.2 MPG last year.
Walsh averaged 7.8 MPG last season.
Tillman averaged 7 MPG last season.
Garza averaged 5.6 MPG last season.

Now those 5 guys are being asked to fill 96 minutes per game, combined. That is going to be a huge increase for this group of guys.

Yes it will be a huge increase in minutes for Queta, Garza and Tillman, who was hurt for most of last year. Walsh is an end of the bench guy and if injuries (or whatever) force them to give significant minutes to him, then yes, the Celtics are going nowhere.

Minott will get some time at the 4 as well. expect him to really step up

[Curmudgeon]

The Celtics will play sprawl ball a la Golden State, with four shooters and someone like Tillman doing his best Draymond imitation. I also expect Brown to play a fair amount of power forward. He's built like one even though he's listed as a guard. He will force teams to go small to match up with him.

I expect Indiana to play the same way now that Turner is gone.

[JujitsuFlip]

The Celtics will play sprawl ball a la Golden State, with four shooters and someone like Tillman doing his best Draymond imitation. I also expect Brown to play a fair amount of power forward. He's built like one even though he's listed as a guard. He will force teams to go small to match up with him.

I expect Indiana to play the same way now that Turner is gone.

Brown is going to get worn down having to battle on the glass and battle down low.

[basketballRob]

Cleveland also didnt improve at all. no shot they win 60+ games again.

I really don't understand how this is a narrative.

These Knicks fans are acting like adding Clarkson and Yabusele were these huge off season moves. When in reality they're just this season's Cam Payne and Achiuwa.

If we take that same mindset and apply is to the Cavs... Larry Nance Jr is better than Tristan Kardashian in every way possible. Lonzo Ball is a massive defensive upgrade from Ty Jerome. Tyrese Proctor should actually be able to sniff some playing time unlike Chuma Okeke. And Cavs haven't filled spot 14 yet but i am sure whoever it is can at least give them whatever Javonte Green did.

That's a lot of talent.

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[One Last Shot]

Knicks will be good enough to have the best record in the entire league and Brunson always own Mitchell if that's the expected clash in Eastern Conference Finals. If Brown finds a way to load manage this squad and avoid massive wear and tear come playoffs time then I have them as the top contender. I think the OG-led elite wing defenders of Knicks will put a clamp on SGA/Jdub/Murray in the Finals while KAT knows how to beat Jokic in a playoffs series, the two teams who should make the Finals in the West or the more likely prediction of Luka conquers it all winning everything in spectacular fashion with LeBron hobbled all year and announce by All-Star break that this will be his last season in the NBA.

[MavsDirk41]

Knicks will be good enough to have the best record in the entire league and Brunson always own Mitchell if that's the expected clash in Eastern Conference Finals. If Brown finds a way to load manage this squad and avoid massive wear and tear come playoffs time then I have them as the top contender. I think the OG-led elite wing defenders of Knicks will put a clamp on SGA/Jdub/Murray in the Finals while KAT knows how to beat Jokic in a playoffs series, the two teams who should make the Finals in the West or the more likely prediction of Luka conquers it all winning everything in spectacular fashion with LeBron hobbled all year and announce by All-Star break that this will be his last season in the NBA.

Towns and Brunson will miss too much time to have the best record in the league. And the Knicks dont have a ton of depth to make up for their loss. New York will win around 55 games this year. Cleveland and OKC both win 60 games this year and meet in the finals.

[JujitsuFlip]

Cleveland also didnt improve at all. no shot they win 60+ games again.

I really don't understand how this is a narrative.

These Knicks fans are acting like adding Clarkson and Yabusele were these huge off season moves. When in reality they're just this season's Cam Payne and Achiuwa.

If we take that same mindset and apply is to the Cavs... Larry Nance Jr is better than Tristan Kardashian in every way possible. Lonzo Ball is a massive defensive upgrade from Ty Jerome. Tyrese Proctor should actually be able to sniff some playing time unlike Chuma Okeke. And Cavs haven't filled spot 14 yet but i am sure whoever it is can at least give them whatever Javonte Green did.

That's a lot of talent.

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Your Magic still need a new head coach, fam.

[basketballRob]

I really don't understand how this is a narrative.

These Knicks fans are acting like adding Clarkson and Yabusele were these huge off season moves. When in reality they're just this season's Cam Payne and Achiuwa.

If we take that same mindset and apply is to the Cavs... Larry Nance Jr is better than Tristan Kardashian in every way possible. Lonzo Ball is a massive defensive upgrade from Ty Jerome. Tyrese Proctor should actually be able to sniff some playing time unlike Chuma Okeke. And Cavs haven't filled spot 14 yet but i am sure whoever it is can at least give them whatever Javonte Green did.

That's a lot of talent.

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Your Magic still need a new head coach, fam.

They brought in Joe Prunty to be the offensive coordinator. They also brought in Shamgod to be the ball handling coach.

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[GiannisAnte34]

1. Knicks
2. Magic
3. Cavs
4. Raptors (will surprise)
5. Hawks
6. Pacers
7. Sixers (playoffs this season)
8. Bucks
9. Hornets (this depends how healthy lamelo stays)*
10. Pistons (will drop in standings)

Bottom feeders:
Heat, Celtics, Wizards, Nets, Bulls

This list is a disaster IMO

[JujitsuFlip]

That's a lot of talent.

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Your Magic still need a new head coach, fam.

They brought in Joe Prunty to be the offensive coordinator. They also brought in Shamgod to be the ball handling coach.

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Prunty has never been known for offense, never ever lol it's some narrative you keep pushing, that's not real.

Prunty and Mosley were on the Cavs coaching staff together from 2010 to 2013, that's the connection, nothing more and nothing less.

[GiannisAnte34]

Cavs look like the best in the East to me. Hawks and Bucks are being overrated in this thread.
1. Cavs
2. Knicks
3. Magic
4. Pistons
5/6. Pacers
5/6 Celtics
7. Hawks
8. Raptors
9. Bucks
10. Heat
11. Bulls
12. Sixers
13. Wizards
14. Hornets
15. Nets

I may be underrating the Wizards a bit. But they are so young.

The Celtics lost like 4.5 starters and the Pacers lost 2 starters yet they’re both better than the Hawks and Bucks? Sounds pretty silly to me

[GiannisAnte34]

I don't consider any team from East, by current rosters, entering 2025-26, as "contender".

Only reason why some teams are now bumped into "contenders" isn't because they ever proved anything to be considered that but because actual two contenders are out of picture due injuries. Especially Celtics.

To make matters worst, not a single team from East even has draft capital to go all in to get better. They all already did it.

Imo, whoever comes from West is winning. East will be entertaining side show.


Consider fact that OKC went 29-1 vs East last year in regular season, only losing to Cavs until playoffs. And Pacers, who gave them ran for a money, are out of picture.

Doesn't help that East also has only 1 player among top 5, and him, Giannis, has so bad roster that they would win 20 games without him. Their guard rotation is worst guard rotation in nba. They don't even have rotation level guard for playoffs, let alone starting quality one.

Feels like 2026 East will be very similar to 2002 one. Who will have honor to get swept?

KPJ not only is a starter quality guard but he’s going to be inching towards top 10 guard play because of the space he’ll get off of Giannis and Turner

[Curmudgeon]

Cavs look like the best in the East to me. Hawks and Bucks are being overrated in this thread.
1. Cavs
2. Knicks
3. Magic
4. Pistons
5/6. Pacers
5/6 Celtics
7. Hawks
8. Raptors
9. Bucks
10. Heat
11. Bulls
12. Sixers
13. Wizards
14. Hornets
15. Nets

I may be underrating the Wizards a bit. But they are so young.

The Celtics lost like 4.5 starters and the Pacers lost 2 starters yet they’re both better than the Hawks and Bucks? Sounds pretty silly to me

The Celtics lost two starters and a 6th man. One of the starters (Porzingis) was never available so he's addition by subtraction as far as I'm concerned. And Horford is 40 years old. The guy they will really miss is Jrue, but he was also hurt off and on for much of the year.

As for the Pacers, losing Myles Turner was a choice. They had Bird rights and chose not to keep him.

Lastly, if you are trying to predict the Knicks' season, don't forget to subtract five wins for Karl Anthony Towns.

[JujitsuFlip]

Cavs look like the best in the East to me. Hawks and Bucks are being overrated in this thread.
1. Cavs
2. Knicks
3. Magic
4. Pistons
5/6. Pacers
5/6 Celtics
7. Hawks
8. Raptors
9. Bucks
10. Heat
11. Bulls
12. Sixers
13. Wizards
14. Hornets
15. Nets

I may be underrating the Wizards a bit. But they are so young.

The Celtics lost like 4.5 starters and the Pacers lost 2 starters yet they’re both better than the Hawks and Bucks? Sounds pretty silly to me

The Celtics lost two starters and a 6th man. One of the starters (Porzingis) was never available so he's addition by subtraction as far as I'm concerned. And Horford is 40 years old. The guy they will really miss is Jrue, but he was also hurt off and on for much of the year.

As for the Pacers, losing Myles Turner was a choice. They had Bird rights and chose not to keep him.

Lastly, if you are trying to predict the Knicks' season, don't forget to subtract five wins for Karl Anthony Towns.

Tatum is out the entire season, the Celtics 100% lost 3 starters... They lost 5 of their top 8 minute getters from last seasons playoffs...

Pacers did not make a choice lol they kept low balling Turner and he was an unrestricted free agent so he just left and went to their division rival bc they were willing to pay him lol

[Thaddy]

1. Knicks
2. Magic
3. Cavs
4. Raptors (will surprise)
5. Hawks
6. Pacers
7. Sixers (playoffs this season)
8. Bucks
9. Hornets (this depends how healthy lamelo stays)*
10. Pistons (will drop in standings)

Bottom feeders:
Heat, Celtics, Wizards, Nets, Bulls

This list is a disaster IMO

The Raptors will be surprisingly good. They usually beat their over under odds.

Ingram is better than Siakam.

Their bench is better.

They have starter level players who've experienced success before (Poeltl, Barnes, RJ, IQ, and Ingram). The bench has Dick, CMB, Walter, Agbaji, Shead, Mogbo, Battle, and other filler talent they can use along the season grind.